Early European world maps were often drawn with Jerusalem at the center. This reflected the cartographer's religious belief that Jerusalem was the "navel of the world" and his attempt to provide a center for geographic orientation. While maps of other parts of the world were constantly redrawn to reflect political realities and scientific discoveries, until the nineteenth century, maps of the Holy Land continued to show biblical boundaries and depict biblical events.

The Library's collection includes both manuscript and printed maps, dating from the fifteenth century to the present. Most of these maps are of Israel and its environs.

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